Safe Haven
by DripsOfRed
Summary: She was tired. Tired of running. Tired of hiding. Tired of the fear that was bottled up inside. Her whole life was running down an endless dark tunnel. Would she finally see the light at the end? Rated T because of slight violence. There will also be some slight plot change here and there to make everything fit better.
1. Escape

**Hey guys! I'm back with a new and improved story. If you read my author's note from the older version of this story I said I would delete it and edit it. So here I am with a fresh start! I hope you guys like it!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Maximum Ride characters or the plot from Safe Haven**

**Just a heads up! The WHOLE STORY will be in MAX'S P.O.V. There will be the occasional 3****rd**** person.**

_(Flashback 2 years ago)_

_Huff huff huff. I was breathing hard as I ran. My feet desperately hitting the pavement. My lungs burned and stung but I had to get away. Away from _there. _Up ahead, I spotted the familiar large red brick house come into view as I got closer. The lights were on so I figured she was home. I quickly dashed up the porch, taking two steps at a time, to the front door. I constantly looked behind me, just in case _he _was after me. I pounded on the white-framed screen door._

"_Help! Help me! Please! Open up! Please!" I desperately sobbed. Not too long after, the locks clicked on the door. It opened, revealing my Hispanic neighbor, Ella. She swung the door open. I ran inside._

"_What? What happened? Are you okay?" She asked frantically, slamming and locking the door shut. I clutched at her lithe frame and sobbed._

"_I don't know what happened! I-I just. H-he was d-drunk a-and I don't kn-know what h-happened!" I stammered in between tears. She led me to the living room and sat me down on the three-seater couch._

"_Shh. Take deep breaths. Better? Good. Now, start from the beginning," she told me._

_(End Flashback)_

I pulled my hood farther down around my head. I glanced around my surroundings to make sure I wasn't being followed. I walked towards the entrance of the bus station I had just arrived at. I kept my head low and didn't make eye contact with anyone. I stumbled as a man bumped into me.

"Oh! I'm so sorry! Are you okay? Hey! Where are you going?" he called after me as I walked away, not even acknowledging his apology. I cut through the ticket line and went up to the booth. The people next in line protested. _Sorry guys. I gotta get through. _I finally made eye contact with the ticket man.

"One ticket to Atlanta, Georgia," I said, my face void of any emotions. The man handed me the ticket and I gave him the money. I took the ticket and quickly made my way to the back where the transportation buses were.

I scanned my surroundings, trying to spot the bus that said Atlanta, Georgia, on it. I still kept my head low and didn't move too subtly in a way that made me suspicious. I pulled my hoodie even lower since there were cameras around.

Finally, I spotted the bus with Atlanta, Georgia, on it. I quickly made my way over to the line of people waiting to get in. I was the last person. It was my turn to go up the steps. I handed the driver my ticket and went to find a seat. I sat at the back by the window.

That's when I saw _him. _He was looking around, probably looking for me. He was getting onto random different buses trying to find me or ask people who have seen me. He stood in the middle of the road looking around in hopes to see me. He didn't._ At least, I hope he didn't see me._ As the bus pulled farther away from the station, I continued to keep my cautious posture and didn't let my guard down. Not even for a second.

When we were finally out of sight and out of the city, that's when I finally relaxed. I slumped back into the mildly comfortable seat and let out a breath I wasn't aware of holding. My heart thumped erratically and I tried to slow my breaths to calm it down. I was _exhausted. _I let my heavy eyelids droop and gave into a peaceful sleep.

You don't know who I am, do you? Here's a rather obvious hint.

My name is Maximum Ride, and I am a fugitive.

**So there is my oh so lovely rewrite. I hope those who have read the older version see if there is an improvement. Please review and keep in touch.**

**-Red**


	2. New Life

**I'm back! Hopefully you guys liked the rewrite! Not much to talk about sooo…. Enjoy!**

**Okay, here's some things to kind of make it easier:**

**-Max, Fang, Iggy are all 29, Ella and Nudge are both 24, Angel is 8, and Gazzy is 10**

**-Fang wears dark clothes but not all black because I didn't think it would fit with the plot and all. Sorry**

**-Iggy is not blind**

**-They may be slightly OOC**

**-Some characters may not be mentioned many time throughout the story since there's not many in the movie**

**-NO WINGS obviously**

**Disclaimer: I don't own MR characters or Safe Haven plot**

I stared out the bus window at the beautiful scenery all around me. I had woken up early this morning from a nightmare but I don't regret it. The land was breathtaking with grass-covered hills and few lush trees. The early sun rays peeking over the hills turned the fields golden and gave off a warm feeling. _I love it already._

Golden fields slowly faded into a many emerald trees. I felt calm watching the trees sway from light gusts of wind with small rays of sunlight peeking through the canopy of trees. Trees dwindled and behind the trees was the blue ocean. I watched as we passed by an almost innumerable amount of docks with tons of boats parked by them. All of them different shapes and colors.

Buildings soon came into view and the bus came to a sudden stop. I looked at the sign at the front of the bus. It said we were in Southport, North Carolina. _I guess this is where we're stopping. _I was one of the first people to get off the bus. As I walked towards the pier, I breathed in the slightly salty air that already felt like home. I stood on the pier and looked out towards the ocean. Today, the sea was calm and welcoming with the sun making the tips of the blue waves a golden color. I smiled.

_This is where I belong._

* * *

I made my way towards the nearest building. It so happened to be a restaurant called _Iggy's Dock_** (Yes, I know, very original)**. I walked up the steps and went to the wooden bar which was rather close to the entrance. I walked up to a man that was rather tall, pale, and lanky with strawberry blonde hair. As I neared him, he looked to be putting something away. Cups, I think?

"Um, hi." I greeted awkwardly, while slightly clearing my throat. _Wow, way to make an impression, Max._

"Hey! What can I do for ya?" he asked with a kind smile. Though the glint in his eyes made him seem mischievous. I swallowed.

"Um, is the owner around? I would like to speak to them. Please?" I replied uncertainly.

"I'm the owner. What do you need?" he asked again. _Oh, oops._

"I was wondering if you had any job openings. If you don't, I understand." I explained calmly.

"Are you experienced at all because I think we might." he said thoughtfully.

"Um, yes, I am." I tried with a smile this time. It was only halfhearted.

"Well, okay then! Guess you just got yourself a new job! Come in around seven tomorrow and I'll give you your uniform and a set of keys." He informed me. I nodded.

Just then, a loud pop followed by a high pitched sound that was between a scream and a gas leak. I jumped and my heart raced. Iggy had close to the same reaction but he looked almost used to it.

"Nudge!" Iggy shouted playfully. He was staring behind me and I looked back as well. I saw a cocoa-skinned girl with frizzy black hair standing by the soda machine. She was looking between Iggy and the machine with wide brown eyes.

"Sorry, Ig!" she shouted, trying to fix the fog coming out from the machine. Iggy started laughing and it was so contagious, that I started laughing too. _I am really starting to like this place._

**Okay, that's the end of chappie number two! Hope you liked it! I am starting to get obsessed with writing again with the support of my friends and my dad. I am glad with how the rewrites turned out and I'm hoping it stays that way. Please review! Love you guys!**

**-Red**


	3. Frustration and Acquaintances

**Hello my wonderful readers. I'm SO sorry for the time I've been gone. I recently hit 11.5k on my story, This Means War! and I can't tell you how happy I am. I never thought it would go past 5k… Thanks so much everyone! Anyway, I'm back from a couple months of being lazy to update the third chapter. There has been some mix-ups, so those who have remembered the movie by heart, I'm sorry that I switched some stuff… It might be an accident or on purpose. Forgive me. Okay, let's get started.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own MR or the plot of Safe Haven**

_Unknown_

I walked into the department for work, drained of energy from not getting any sleep. Of course, if you have no sleep and you're also working on a highly important police case, that's a problem. I needed to find her, no matter the cost. Ari, my coworker, handed me a flash drive.

"Yo, I got some footage from the station. Thought you might want it," he shrugged.

"Thanks," I said. I sat down at my desk, papers of probably last month's case all over it, and logged in. I plugged in the flash drive and watched the footage. _Nothing so far. _I reached to get my cup of coffee that Ari left on my desk. I froze. There she is. I saw her familiar face as she stepped into the bus. _I can't believe it was that easy. _I immediately looked at the bus' destination. _Atlanta, Georgia._

Found you.

_Max_

"This house would be perfect for you! It's small compared to others but since you're living alone, it's the perfect size. There is one bathroom, two semi-large bedroom, one kitchen, and one living room. What do you think?" the woman asked me, beaming. She looked familiar.

"I think… I'll take it," I smiled. Her brown eyes shone. I was still struck by how familiar she looked, "Um, if you don't mind me asking. Aren't you the girl from the restaurant?"

"Oh yeah! My name's Nudge. You're the newbie at work, right? Anyway, I have multiple jobs so I can pay both my rent and afford shopping fees. I shop a lot! I love shopping! Don't you? I mean like there are so many cute dresses, skirts, shoes, shirts, purses, and hats! They're so pret-"

"Yeah, they are," I cut her off. I didn't mean to be rude but she talks a lot… She giggled.

"Oops! Sorry. I tend to blab whatever comes to mind," she smiled. I laughed.

"It's okay. Sorry, I didn't mean to be rude," I said.

"Oh, it's no big deal! Anyways, I have to go now. Bye!" she walked out. Um, okay…

(Time Skip)

I lay in bed that night, my eyes refusing to close. I was thinking over my past. About everything that's happened. I had a feeling of panic rise in my chest. I felt cold. _But my window is closed… _The kitchen! I flung off the covers and ran into the kitchen. Sure enough, the kitchen window was open. I slammed it shut and locked it. I leaned against the wall, a sigh of relief escaped my mouth. I started towards my bedrooms. The floor disappeared beneath me. I shrieked.

I had stepped onto a weak spot on the kitchen floor. I heard some squeaking coming from it and I recoiled. _I'll have to get that fixed. _The adrenaline was still pumping inside my body and there was no way I could get back to sleep. I went over to the counter and made some coffee.

I sat at the small round-ish table in the center of the kitchen. I sipped my coffee thinking about the earlier events. I chuckled to myself at how paranoid I had been. _Man, I need to loosen up. _I went into the bathroom for my morning routine and got ready for the day.

(Time Skip)

I was low on food so I walked to the local convenience store. I saw a boy standing on the pier next to the store. I heard some dark-haired man call out and told him to be careful, then he disappeared behind the store. What did he call the boy? Gazzy? What? I shook my head and walked into the store.

After I was done getting the stuff, I carried the shopping basket to the counter. No one was there. I did one-eighty turn and still saw no one. I heard movement behind me and whipped around. A sweet little girl was standing there. I was surprised, at most.

"Hello!" she said, happily.

"Hello there. What's your name?" I smiled and asked. She smiled back, her bright blue orbs lighting up.

"Angel. What's yours?" she asked fervently.

"Max. Are your mom or dad around?" I asked kindly. You may only see this side of me when I'm with children or I actually like you.

"No. My brother is though! What are you here for?" she cocked her head to the side. I smiled at the fact that she had to stand on a stool to actually be able to see me clearly.

"Well, I was wondering if you guys had any… paint?"

"Um, well, we have this book. It has all the colors and names that you can pick from," she informed me. She used her fingers to draw the shape of the book.

"Oh, ok," I asked.

"What are you painting?" she was a curious one.

"My kitchen floor," As I said that, she started giggling. I raised my eyebrow with a curious smile, "What's so funny?"

"Well, usually you don't paint the floor. You put a rug on it!" she continued to giggle.

"I see. I really want to paint it though. Do you know any happy colors?" I leaned on the counter and raised an eyebrow.

"I don't know. Yellow? Like the sun?" she raised both hands in a questioning matter.

"Oooh. Yeah. That's a good color. Can you get the book so I can pick one out?" I asked. She nodded her head, her blonde curls bouncing around her head.

"I'll go get it!" she ran off somewhere, most likely to get the book. The back door opened and the same dark-haired man and another middle-aged man stumbled in, carrying in a rather large box. I analyzed them both.

The dark-haired one looked fairly tall and around my age. He had long-ish black hair that hung in his face but didn't go past his neck much. He had a lean muscular build but not so much that it looked like he was a balloon but more skinny. I couldn't see his eyes as he was looking down at the moment. The most peculiar thing was that he wore all dark clothes. He wore a black shirt with a navy flannel over it, dark jeans, black sneakers, and black belt. Maybe that's his weird fetish?

The older man was wise looking. He had a pair of spectacle that rested on his nose. He had light brown hair and eyes. A small stubble and moustache. He had on a white button up with suspenders attached to his light jeans. He had on a pair of light brown shoes. The years seemed to have treated him well. I envied him for that.

The dark one saw me and he seemed surprised. He walked towards me, box forgotten. He stopped and gestured at me. He looked like he was trying to find the right words. He found them.

"You're still here?" he seemed genuinely surprised.

"Uh, yeah. Decided to stay," I tried at a smile. His shock stayed but he snapped out of it and saw my basket. He walked behind the counter. Now, I got a clear view of his face and I saw that his eyes were like pools of ink. I didn't know it was possible. It was kinda… attractive. _NO! Snap out of it. No room for that._

At that moment, Angel appeared with a thick book in her hand. The man looked down at her.

"Angel, what are you doing here?" he asked. I saw the affection for her in his dark eyes.

"Max, here, wants to paint her floor!" she didn't giggle this time. She was completely serious. I was impressed at how mature she could be.

"Oh?" he looked back at me to make sure it was true. I smiled and nodded. "Well, okay then. You can take this home and look through it and when you're ready, come by and tell me which one you want."

"Okay, that's good." He began checking out the rest of my things making small talk here and there. I liked the company in this town. They were friendly here in Southport. Not like the city people back in Boston.

He finished and I took the big bag into my arms. I was about to leave when he told me to grab a book. He said they were free.

"Yeah, the books are really good!" Angel exclaimed.

"How do you know?" the man asked her incredulously. They playfully bantered back and forth. I chuckled at them and left.

I walked along the sidewalk, smiling to myself while the warm rays of the sun washed over my face. So far, this town had been very promising. Still, I was always guarded. I have not let down a single one of my walls. I felt my smile fade as my mind wandered to… other things.

The town melted into forest as I kept walking. Soon, my house came into view. My feet faltered. I was not alone out here. A figure stood on my porch looking through my front window. I relaxed slightly as I realized the figure was female but that did not explain why someone was looking through my windows. Now that's just creepy! I stood at the bottom of the steps, the woman did not seem to notice or sense me at all.

"Ahem," I cleared my throat. She jumped and put a hand over her heart.

"Oh dear! You scared me there," she let out a breathy laugh. "Sorry, I came to see who moved in. I'm a bit curious, you see."

"Um, that's alright. I just moved in by the way," I felt my face contort into a questioning look. "I thought I was the only one out here?"

"Oh no, I live a little ways from here. A bit deeper into the forest," she informed me with a reassuring smile. "It's good to see someone else who likes it out here. Isn't it nice to be away from all that city stuff?"

I studied her. She seemed friendly with the warm light in her brilliant sky blue eyes. Her blonde hair blew around her slightly as a breeze picked up. She had pale skin but not so pale that it looked like a vampire or something. She looked older than me, in her late-forties I would guess. She sort of reminded me of a much older Angel. Huh. When I realized I had not answered her question, I felt a bit embarrassed.

"Oh! Yeah, sorry. It is nice around here. I like it," I enthused.

She smiled happily and I smiled back. She was very kind. She reminded me of my own mother who had died a few years before the… incident. The woman was quite the conversationalist. She soon revealed her name to be Anne Walker. I told her my name as well. We made small talk until she said she had to go.

"If you ever need me, I'm down that road!" she pointed farther down the dirt road. I nodded in thanks and went inside. I walked into the kitchen and put all the food away. After I was done, I went into the bathroom. I took a hot shower which did wonders to my aching shoulders.

(Line Break)

I was currently lying down on my bed and reading the book I had gotten at the store. _Angel was right_, I thought wryly, _these books are pretty good. _As I got towards the middle, I figured it was enough and put the book on my bedside table. I clicked the lamp off, went under the covers, and fell into one of the best slumbers I've ever had.

_Unknown_

"Where can you go from Atlanta?" I asked the ticket man. He gave me a look like, _Are you freakin' kidding me?_

"Well, where do you wanna go?" he asked back. This guy was asking for it.

"I just wanna know. Where _can_ you go from Atlanta?" I just needed this guy to cooperate. I felt the guy behind me mumble about how I was taking so long. I took out my badge and turned to one of the people behind the closed booth window, "Hey, can you open up a window for my buddy here?"

The man sighed in relief and exclaimed, "Thank you very much!"

I nodded and turned back to the ticket man expectantly. He complied, "Well, you can go anywhere from Atlanta! It's our national travel center**(A/N I'm not sure if that's what the guy said in the movie, oh well, sue me)**!"

"Alright, thank you," I walked back to my car. Things just got a little more complicated.

(Line Break)

I sat in my office chair while staring at my computer screen. I clicked on Google maps and typed in what I needed. As I hit enter, numerous lines sprouted from the little dot, aka Atlanta, and made its way across the screen. The lines split into even more lines that ran across the country. I slammed my fist on my desk and leaned back into my chair. _Curse that woman for being so smart! _

"You alright?" Ari looked at me with a quizzical glance.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Job just got a little harder, that's all."

_Max_

I walked up the store porch, up and eager to start the day. I saw Angel lying on her stomach at the top of the porch. She seemed to be drawing something. I knelt next to her.

"Hey Angel," I smiled at her. Her eyes lit up when she saw me, it was so adorable.

"Hi Max!" she beamed. I laughed with mirth.

"What are you drawing?" I looked closely at her picture. I could make out the ocean, a couple boats, and the sun. I couldn't identify one thing. It looked like a carrot…

"I don't know yet," she shrugged.

"Is it a… carrot?" I voiced my question.

"No, it's a flying fish," she corrected me.

"Oh," I made myself sound confused. I heard talking in the store and saw the dark-haired man talking with Iggy at the counter. They laughed good-naturedly, well, the dark one chuckled at most. I stood by Angel waiting till they were done. I didn't want to intrude.

"Hey Maxie!" Iggy waved childishly at me as the other man looked over at me. I laughed. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Angel's brother, Gazzy, glance over at me from the pier with discomfort. What did I do? I just decided to wave back. He turned away.

"Hey Iggy!" I turned my attention back to Iggy. Iggy turned around and asked the man something about the kids and left. I left Angel's side and walked into the store.

"Hey," I greeted the man.

"Hey," he smiled. My heart thumped a tad faster. _No! Bad heart. I don't need crap from you right now. Go back to pumping steady like a normal heart. _

"Um, I got my paint all picked out," I handed him the book and opened to the page with the right color on it. It was a shade of yellow, just like Angel suggested.

"Alright then," he took the book from me. "I'll go put it into the catalog and you can come get it later."

"Okay, sounds good!" I started walking to the door.

"Oh, wait!"

"Yeah?"

"I'm gonna need a name so I know who to give it to."

"Oh, my name's Max," I totally forgot about giving him the info.

"M-a-x. Okay! I got it. Have a good day!" he wrote my name on a piece of paper. I smiled and walked back out to the porch. Angel was in the exact same spot as before. I knelt back down to her level.

"Goodbye Angel," I ruffled her hair.

"Here, you can have it," she handed me her drawing.

"Thank you!" I smiled slightly. She was so cute. I stepped down the porch.

"Bye Max!" she shouted from atop the porch. I waved and continued down the sidewalk. It was nice and sunny out today. It had been this way every day I had been staying in Southport so far. Not that I was complaining.

"Hey Max! Wait up," Anne jogged over to me. Wow, a lot of people want to talk to me today…

"Hey Anne."

"Can I walk with you? I figured since we're both going home, that we could walk together."

"Yeah, sure."

We walked on while talking about pretty much anything. We stopped by my house first since it was closer. I waved goodbye and went into my house. I stretched my arms and yawned. Dang, I was tired already. Eh, what's wrong with taking a nap?

_Unknown_

I had my car parked at the curb of a familiar neighborhood. It didn't exactly bring back the best memories. I saw the residents here walking around their homes, minding their own business. I stepped out of the car. I headed towards the nearest house and asked the owner if they knew who _she _was while holding up a picture of her. After he said no, I repeated the process until I came to the last house. It was a red brick house.

"Do you know this woman?" I asked the Hispanic looking lady. She studied the picture.

"Haven't seen her," she answered after a couple seconds.

"She's new to the neighborhood," I tried this to see if anything happened. I saw no recognition flash in her eyes.

"Is she?" she nodded, in no way interested with the news. Wow. I walked back to my SUV and drove away. Frustration was the most prominent emotion at the moment.

I will get her.

**Sorry guys! I hope this extra-long chapter made up for the lost time... Yeah, please forgive me! Also, please review for helpful advice or feedback! Love you guys!**

**-Red**


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